8 ways to nail your next ski holiday

Ready to fall in love with mountain life? Then speak to Oxygene today

1. Enrol at the cool school

oxygene.ski 

Forget everything you’ve heard about education standards going downhill – the passionate teachers at Oxygene Ski & Snowboard School in the French Alps are a breath of fresh air. This one-stop academy for wannabe winter sports stars hosts lessons at Val-d’Isère, La Plagne, Courchevel, Méribel, Val Thorens, Les Menuires, La Tania, Grand Bornand, Megève and the Ubaye Valley, and they guarantee that you’ll leave their company loving the slopes as much as they do. 

Fly to Geneva

Snug and lightweight, the Alpha LIFALOFT™ jacket is perfect for the pistes

2. Be warm and stylish on the slopes

hellyhansen.com

Anybody who loves snowsports will at one time or another have been in a bind – you want to pack a warm coat, but you don’t have unlimited space. Enter Norwegian brand Helly Hansen and its Alpha LIFALOFT™ jacket. With high-tech insulation technology, it's super warm and ultra-lightweight. Better yet, it comes with Ski Free, so you can enjoy a free day of skiing at one of more than 50 premier resorts worldwide! That should warm your cockles.

Kick back and enjoy your ski trip with the help of a professional booker

3. Get a pro to organise the finer details of your trip

corporatepeaks.co.uk

What’s the worst part of ski holidays? The pre-dawn alarm to the airport? Queuing at the lift pass office? Or sorting the itinerary? For many, organising the trip induces most apprehension because there are so many details to contend with. So why not invest in a professional to plan and book everything for you? Corporate Peaks is one such service – its bookers can fully host your business trip, whether personal or corporate, while you kick back and enjoy not having to stress about whether that suspicious airport shuttle you arranged will ever turn up.

Get on a highway to heli-ski paradise with Valdez Heli-Ski Guides

4. Go high or go home

vhsg.com

Among ski aficionados, heli-skiing is a rite of passage. It’s why Valdez Heli-Ski Guides take their role so seriously. The company specialises in providing ultimate experiences by flying guests to exclusive slopes on the Chugach Mountains in Valdez, Alaska, to enjoy its famously exceptional snow alongside their expert guides. Then adventurers get to spa, work out, feast or party all-night-long at the group’s plush Tsaina Lodge, before doing it all again the next day. Epic.

Prices start from £4,568

Fall in love with winter sports with Hartweger’s Ski & Snowboard School

5. Master the slopes with a former pro

kaprun-skischule.at

Whether it’s your first snow adventure or you just fancy perfecting your slope style, it’s worth hitting up Hartweger’s Ski & Snowboard School. Based in Kaprun next to the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier in Austria since 1995 and run by a team of snow fanatics – including former professional snowboarder Björn Hartweger – their aim is to make you love the mountains as much as they do via courses, group classes and one-on-one sessions for anyone aged three and up.

Fly to Innsbruck or Salzburg

Alpinresorts.com has deals on equipment that are out of this world

6. Arrange your ski rental pack at a great price

alpinresorts.com

If there’s one bugbear for all winter sports lovers, it’s the sheer cost of everything. Lift passes, travel, accommodation, ski gear – it all mounts up. Fortunately, the top team at Alpinresorts.com can help. They’ll allow you to rent all your essential downhill equipment at steep discounts – think up to 65% off – and give you free cancellation up to the first renting day. Simply visit the site and select what you need – they also arrange lessons. With more than 1,150 stockists across the Alps, they’ll hook you up with the goods, wherever you are – and at a price you’ll love.

The Ski Club of Great Britain is already the go-to for 22,000 skiers

7. Join the UK's biggest ski club

skiclub.co.uk

Want to get the most out of the mountains this season? Then sign up to The Ski Club of Great Britain, the UK’s largest and oldest snowsports membership organisation. It provides hundreds of exclusive ski-related deals and discounts; up-to-date, industry-leading snow reports, info and advice; special membership insurance and holiday offers; and a quarterly members magazine packed with insider tips. It’s no wonder it's already become the go-to for some 22,000 skiers.

Ski accommodation with a knock-out view? You’ll find it with Chalet Finder

8. Find the best powder rooms

chaletfinder.co.uk

It makes no odds if your winter accommodation plans are budget digs to save cash for the après, or a sprawling private lodge fit for alpine royalty – Chalet Finder has the right winter base for you. Browse around 1,400 swanky hotels, flash apartments and (yes) super-chic chalets across some 150 global ski resorts, many with private hot-tubs and knockout views as standard. Which leaves you free to simply chill out.